LSWR coach 1520 relaunched

Just a quick note to say that LSWR coach 1520 (built 1910) was relaunched into service today. There's a nice photo of the coach posed with Adams radial 488 on Poleay bridge on the Bluebell website, and also the relaunch train with Fenchuch, 1520, LBSC 1st 661 and LCDR brake 3rd 114, all in pre-group liveries. I wonder when was the last time South Western, Brighton and Chatham coaches were all seen in the same train?

See http://www.bluebell-railway.co.uk/bluebell/whats_new.html

Tom

 

1520 looks superb, especially with 488. A credit to the C&W works, I wonder what other coaches she'll work with.

 

i expect 1520 wont get too much work but may deputise in the victorian train.

 

Yes that would be my guess, pair it with the two Four Wheelers to create another vintage set alongside the Mets as it's not really going to fit in too well with either of the Maunsell/non-corridor olive green carriage set, Bulleid set, Mk1 set or Pullmans. But full credit to the C&W guys a lot of hard work has paid off and we've got another superb carriage in service now. A big well done.

 

How long did it take the Southern after Grouping to repaint all of the coaches which it had inherited? Did any LSWR coaches last long enough in brown and pink to be around in that state when the first Maunsells were outshopped?

 

I'd suspect not - as I believe, the brown and pink was a pre-WW1 livery and was replaced on the LSWR by a dark olive very similar to the original Southern scheme. So while I suppose it is feasible that some brown and pink coaches made it post grouping, I'd suspect a more common combination would be Southern olive green + SW olive green.

Tom

 

Yes, that's how I believe it went. Dave Clarke of the Bluebell C&W Works talks about the coach when it was being finished off during Branch Line Weekend as well as the paint scheme here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7wsNFHrrYY

 

The obo has had plenty of use over the years despite being black and white so hopefully its salmon and brown colour won't stop its use too much. Not wracking up vast mileages with 1520 may not be a bad idea though as there aren't any spare bogies or wheelsets available for it. Like the Brighton first, should there be wheel defects or bogie problems it could mean a long spell out of traffic whilst repairs are completed.